Entries 00421-00430

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

5 NOVEMBER 2003, WEDNESDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(47)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 16

“The mayor of the Berlin borough: ‘My employees were here and inspected everything. They found he hadn’t adhered to German law. If he offers kosher goods for sale, that’s all right, but according to the German laws governing business practices, those goods must be labelled in German.'”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

4 NOVEMBER 2003, TUESDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(46)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 15

“Neighbor: ‘After the plate glass window was broken with a rock, we were all afraid that something more would happen. They could have thrown a bottle or something – a Molotov cocktail. Because the Israeli flag was hanging there, the thing with the plate glass window happened – so you could say he brought the damage on himself.’ Dieter T.’s business started going downhill. The financial situation was dreadful. Then the bureaucrats from the local authority’s food inspection department came. His kosher packaging was printed in English, just as it is in Berlin’s largest department stores. However, the food inspectors forced him to pay a fine of 430 euros ($500.00) because the labels weren’t in German. Even the mayor of that particular Berlin borough was involved in that decision.”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

3 NOVEMBER 2003, MONDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(45)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 14

“Neighbor: ‘That kind of disgusting behavior — when some young guys took the flag away from in front of his shop — I tell you I’m sure that was just some kids fooling around. I didn’t actually see it, though. All right, his shop window was spit on, but so was mine. You clean it up and forget about it. After that nothing happened for a while except that some kids kept showing up every day and were constantly just joking around. We didn’t try to talk to them. You don’t want to get into a confrontation with six or seven teenagers. What’s the point of doing that?’ In December last year, while the Israeli Prime Minister visited the city, somebody through a rock through the store window one night. They never caught whoever did it.”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

2 NOVEMBER 2003, SUNDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(44)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 13

“Dieter T. was able to chase the culprits, photograph them, and report them to the authorities. In the Berlin district attorney’s office several investigations are being carried out into the conduct of ‘persons unknown,’ but the chances of finding those who harassed Dieter T. are slim. Later, young men of Arab extraction made coarse remarks and tore down the Israeli flag in front of the shop. One of the women in the neighborhood ran after them, but most people just watched, and did nothing.”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

1 NOVEMBER 2003, SATURDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(43)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 12

“Dieter T.: ‘But instead of the first group, another gang has started the same thing, this time an Arab group. This is what’s been happening: first, there was spit on the plate-glass window, then urine on the side of the building — a really fine pool of it — or now and then excrement, not animal excrement, human excrement.’”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

31 OCTOBER 2003, FRIDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(42)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 11

“Dieter T. doesn’t want to give up, he doesn’t want to let himself be intimidated. But the daily terror goes on. At least, though, since he started opening his shop at 9 a.m., the neo-Nazis have been staying away.”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

30 OCTOBER 2003, THURSDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(41)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 10

“Dieter T.: ‘Why is it considered a provocation to have an Israeli flag or a Star of David in front of my shop? Is there something different about Jews? What is it with the attitude toward the Jews anyway? Why shouldn’t they be able to display their flag? Or the Star of David? Or wear a yarmulke?’”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

29 OCTOBER 2003, WEDNESDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(40)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 9

“Neighbor: ‘That man, right out of the blue — I can’t imagine why — put a Jewish star on his shop, he hung this kind of flag outside and started wearing a cap on his head — I don’t know why — he never had before. Since then, nobody’s gone in there. Well, the thing is that before, he was a normal person, just like us. We don’t have anything against foreigners or things like that, but when this guy all at once hangs a Jewish flag outside his shop, we have to just shake our heads and wonder what’s going on.’”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

28 OCTOBER 2003, TUESDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(39)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 8

“Instead of confronting the threats and defending themselves, some people in the neighborhood tried to exert their influence over Dieter T. They told him he really should remove the Jewish symbols. His customers felt insecure. Dieter T. had been one of them for years. They had helped one another. But ever since he had used his shop to openly acknowledge his Judaism, some people saw only problems.”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.

(Eine Deutsche Fassung steht weiter unten. German version below – German language character set required for correct display.)

27 OCTOBER 2003, MONDAY, MUNICH, GERMANY.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

(38)

“Don’t Buy from Jews” 1933 and 2003 – 7

“Neighbor: ‘There were mobs of young hooligans here in front of the building. Everything they did was directed at his shop, and they wanted to make that clear. The car was right here and two more people were sitting inside. My husband saw that. We talked to him about it; we went into the shop and asked him what was going on with these people outside. He said he knew all about them and that the whole thing was nothing new to him.’”

A friend of mine commented recently, “In Germany, criticism of bureaucrats is illegal. Blind obedience to their decisions is the rule. Otherwise, punishment is meted out, as happened to you when you were fired from the Technical University of Munich. Is it surprising that a country with such attitudes produced the Nazis in 1933, and is producing them again seventy years later?”

I was shocked that she could say such a thing. “But weren’t the reasons for my firing quite different?” I said.